In the Washington Post, Thomas Boswell writes that for many years the MLB and MLBPA had work stoppage after work stoppage because of how the owners viewed the PA.

That changed following the 1994 strike when, as Boswell says, the MLB and MLBPA started to work together in “grudging, respectful, adversarial semi-harmony.”

Boswell writes that the NHL owners remind him of the MLB owners “a generation ago” with how they are going after Fehr and that they need to understand that working WITH Fehr and the players will only lead to bigger and better things.

NHL leaders need to realize, in a fraction the time it took baseball, that if you go to the mat with a Fehr union, everybody suffers, but you might get it worse. If you work with them, then one day you wake up and Albert Pujols has a $275 million contract and the Dodgers sell for $2 billion.

Mike Illitch, the owner of the Red Wings, also owns the Detroit Tigers and has since 1992. The Indians are owned by Larry Dolan who is James Dolan’s Uncle. Jerry Reinsdorf, who has almost bought the Coyotes on a few accounts, owns the White Sox and has since 1981. Rogers Communications owns the Blue Jays and just bought a share of the Maple Leafs.

Don Fehr on YES Network: "The owners have to understand they need to respect the players."